


The Rother Ibis

by Griselda_Gimpel



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020), Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego? (Cartoon 1994)
Genre: CPAC as setting, Confessions, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Donald Trump mention, F/F, Future Fic, Heist, fascism mention, swastika mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:14:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29905797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Griselda_Gimpel/pseuds/Griselda_Gimpel
Summary: The Old Guard is hired to catch a mysterious thief known as Rother Ibis.
Relationships: Nile Freeman/Carmen Sandiego
Kudos: 4
Collections: The Old Guard Femslash Fortnight 2020





	The Rother Ibis

Nile Freeman eyed the golden statue of former president Donald Trump critically. Now, in the year 2031, it was a permanent fixture of the Conservative Political Action Conference, and it hadn’t gotten any more tasteful in the decade since its construction. As had been the case back in 2021, the CPAC was being held in Orlando. Nile was in attendance because the team had been hired to catch Rother Ibis, an infamous thief whose real identity was unknown. They didn’t have much to go on, but the rumor was that Rother Ibis would be present at the conference.

The name tag on her chest read “Nile Player”, and Copley had established an extensive background for her cover identity. Despite this, she’d so far been mistaken for Condoleezza Rice, a waiter (twice), and Eric Trump (???). They’d all drawn straws to see who would have to attend the CPAC, and Nile had “won”.

Nile drifted through the convention center, past the room containing the stage in the shape of a swastika, and into the dining hall. She hadn’t been there long, but the place was giving her a strong desire to have a drink. She discovered that the dining hall was empty except for a lone woman wearing a knee length silk dress with a matching red overcoat. She had curly black hair, and she smiled when Nile entered.

“Come to get a drink?” the woman asked, making it seem like a flirt. And Nile was supposed to be chatting people up to find out information about Rother Ibis, so she nodded and came closer.

“How’s the wine?” Nile asked.

“Expensive but low quality,” the woman said, taking another sip from her glass. She glanced at the nametag on Nile’s chest, and Nile realized she wasn’t wearing one. “Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Player,” the woman said. “I’m Carmen.”

“Likewise,” Nile said. She poured herself a glass of wine.

“What brings you to the CPAC?” Carmen asked.

“People watching,” Nile said. “Seen any interesting characters around?”

“Only you,” Carmen said. “Interesting characters always catch my eye.” She looked Nile up and down as she said this, and Nile felt a small thrill run through her body.

“That’s fair,” Nile said. “What about you? What’s your story?”

“I’m just here for the wine and find that I’m disappointed. But not so disappointed by the company, hm?”

Nile smiled at her. She was very attractive. Still, Nile had a job to do. “You heard about the latest Rother Ibis theft?” she asked.

“Senator Smith’s watch. A Richard Millie worth half a million.” The woman gave an oddly satisfied smirk.

“Don’t know how the Ibis intends to fence that,” Nile remarked. “It’s much too distinctive.”

“Maybe the Ibis wants to wear it themselves?”

“Mmm,” Nile said. “I would think they’d have better taste than that.”

“True,” Carmen said. “They are the greatest thief in the world.”

“Any other theories?” Nile asked.

Carmen set down her drink on the table and leaned in close. “Just one. Perhaps it wasn’t really stolen, after all.”

“An insurance scam?”

“Sure. Senator Smith insures the watch for its full value, pays the Ibis to steal it, and claims the insurance money. He’s at a net loss, but he gets more than he would if he tried to resell it honestly. The Ibis gets a Richard Millie. Not a great resell value, but still worth far more than she paid for it – which was nothing. Plus, there’s the money for the robbery. It’s a nice little profit, no?”

“That is worth considering,” Nile remarked.

Carmen glanced at her watch. “As much as I hate to part from such lovely company, I have a meeting with Her Majesty.” Carmen lifted up Nile’s hand to her lips, kissed it, and then left the room. Nile watched her go in a haze, and then her brain started working again.

“She?” she echoed softly to herself. The Ibis’ gender was unknown. “Rother,” she muttered. “Rother Ibises are red. Oh, no!” She set down her own wine glass. “Chief!” she shouted into the earpiece she wore. ‘Chief’ was Joe’s codename for the mission.

“Ouch, not so loud,” Joe responded over the com. “Nicky and I hear could hear your flirting loud and clear.”

“It’s an insurance scam,” Nile said, trying to keep her volume normal. “I think Carmen knows something about Rother Ibis. She said she had an appointment with Her Majesty. I thought she was going to fly to a monarchy, but what if that’s her next target? What in the Orlando area could she mean?”

Over the coms, Nile heard the clattering of typing and then Joe answered. “Okay, from South to North, we’ve got Le Majesty Health Care LLC, Majesty Family Hair Spa, Majesty Hair Palace, and the Majesty Building.”

“Any of them have insurance policies taken out on them recently.”

“Yeah, the Majesty Building. Let me get you the coordinates.” As Joe read them off to her, Nile was already sprinting for her car.

“Tell me about it,” Nile said as she weaved through the halls of the convention center.

“It’s in Altamonte Springs. That’s just to the north of Orlando. Construction began in January of 2001. Still unfinished. It was purchased three years ago by Senator Smith. Looks like he was hoping he could finish it and have it turn a profit, but construction was held up…again.”

“That’s the one,” Nile said as she got into her car. She backed out, got onto the highway, and then increased her speed. She heard the rumbling as she came upon Crane Roost park.

“You need to get off the road, Nile,” Joe said. “The news is reporting earthquakes in the Altamonte area.”

Nile cursed as she turned off into Cranes Roost park. Florida didn’t have earthquakes. This had to be the theft. It wouldn’t be the first famous landmark that Rother Ibis had stolen.

Dashing northward on foot, Nile arrived just in time to see the entire Majesty Building begin to lift into the air. Squinting upward, her view partially obscured by the intensity of the sun, Nile could just make out a helicopter lifting up the building by steel cords. Though she couldn’t see it, she had no doubt that the latest anti-gravity technology was being used to offset the mass of the building.

“Well done, Player,” Carmen’s voice called, and Nile redirected her focus to the foot of the building. There, sitting just on the edge at the base, was Carmen. Her legs swung gaily in the air as she and the pilfered building ascended.

“You’re working for Rother Ibis!” Nile accused.

“Not at all,” Carmen laughed. “I am Rother Ibis.” She blew Nile a kiss and then was lifted out of Nile’s reach.


End file.
